


The Dutch Angle

by Highclasstrash



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Gen, Kidnapped Tony Stark, Parent Tony Stark, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony stark basically adppted the character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 03:24:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18274781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Highclasstrash/pseuds/Highclasstrash
Summary: Tony Stark had been kidnapped many times in the past.  But he never thought anything like this could happen.





	1. Chapter 1

Tony Stark woke up in a dark room, tied to a chair.  He sighed.  Kidnapped again.

The assailants were smart, they stripped him of every piece of tech so he couldn't be tracked.  Even his ear piece with his AI.  They were meticulous.

Tony didn't know how long he had been in that room for, the last thing he remembered was getting dizzy in the steets of Manhattan, and then he woke up in the dark room.

After a few minutes or so, a man walked in.  He was dressed in a three piece suit, the tie undone and his hair was greased back.  A neck tattoo peaked over the colar of his shirt, and he smiled.

"I'm glad your awake."  The man said in a smooth voice, that smile never reaching his eyes.

Tony didn't say anything, just glared up at the man.

The man laughed.  "I thought you loved to talk. I'm a little hurt, Tony."  He said, his words coated in foux sadness.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"  Tony asked, he tried to move his wrists to no avail.  He was tightly tied to the chair. 

The man laughed again, he threw his head back and let out a deep sort of weeze.  Weird.  "No, no you don't.  But you will.  I'm Jackson."

Tony would have rolled his eyes if Jackson wasn't watching.  How stupid was this man?  Rule 1 of kidnapping:  never tell the victim anything about you.  "What do you want with me?"

"Nice to meet you, too."  Jackson smiled.  "Are you hungry?"

"Not really, no."  Tony answered shortly, his mind was already working on an escape plan.

Jackson frowned.  "You haven't eaten in a few days, you should be hungry."  As if he actually cares about his captive.

"I'm not eating anything you give me."  Tony glared up at him. 

Jackson's frown deepened.  "Well, we need you healthy.  If you won't eat, the alternative will be a bit painful.  Or not, I don't know." 

"Alternative?"  Tony rose an eyebrow.  "What is it?"

Jackson looked at something behind Tony, maybe a camera, and nodded.   "I can't make any promises, but I'll tell her to be gentle."  He smiled good-naturedly.

"Wait,"  Tony frowned,  "tell who?"

"Oh, don't worry."  Jackson waved his hand dismissively.  "You'll be fine."

Then, the door opened, and in walked one of the most peculiar people Tony had ever seen.

Her face was set in a serious, almost bored expression, but there were pink tinted aviators on top of her head.  Her outfit was also peculiar;  a denim jacket to accompany ripped jeans, a gray shirt with Animal from The Muppets under the jacket.

Dispite the colorful outfit, she looked like she could kill anyone without even blinking.

"Tony, I'd like you to m-"  Jackson stopped when the girl gave him a pointed look.  Then she turned to Tony.

"Alternative?"  Tony almost smiled.  "What's she gonna do?  Force feed me?"

Jackson smiled.  The girl rolled her eyes.

"Almost, she's here with a feeding tube-"

"No."  Tony immediately protested, his plan for escape being temporarily put on hold.

Jackson shrugged.  "Well, I told you we need you healthy.  So if you won't eat, and you don't want the feeding tube, then I guess you'll just have to starve." 

The girl lifted her hand to retrieve the sunglasses from her hair, and she gave Tony an anilitical look as she slid them up her nose.  She never said anything, just studied Tony.

"Let's go, leave him alone for a while."  Jackson's smile finally faded and he shot Tony a dirty look before he stalked out of the dingy room.  The girl studied Tony for another few seconds before she turned on her heal and followed.

When the door closed, Tony let his head drop and his hands started working at the zip ties at his wrists.  His mind worked fast on a plan to get himself out. 

No doubt Rhodey and Pepper were already working to find him, but a little help from his end wouldn't hurt (it most likely would, but Tony didn't think about that).

Tony cataloged every detail he could;  the size of the room, the two cameras in the room and their red blinking lights, the musky smell, any sounds that seemed to be amplified tenfold.

He didn't know how long he sat there, but his wrists were raw and close to bleeding from his constant strain against the restrains, his head was pounding and he was getting dizzy, probably from dehydration and malnourishment.

After what seemed like hours, Tonys head swayed, and he was out.


	2. Chapter 2

When Tony woke next, he felt different.  He was in the same chair, same room, but things were different.

The zip ties were gone, his wrists were bandaged, and nobody was guarding him from inside the room.  Tony immeadiatly stood up and steadied himself against the sudden wave of nausea, and then he rushed to the door.

A knife imbedded itself in the wall three inches from Tonys hand.

Tony spun around and was greeted with the sight of the girl, the one he had met earlier.  She was sitting on the floor.  This time, the jacket was leather, the shirt was Iron Man themed, and she had a drawstring bag at her side.  The only constsnt was the pair of pink aviators.

She raised her hand and gave a lazy salute.  Tony was still frozen as he watched her stand up and retrieve the knife from the wall.  She put her hand on his shoulder and lightly pushed him to the chair, gesturing to it with the daggar.

"So, were you taken prisoner too?"  Tony asked, stumbling slightly and almost tripping if not for the girls steady hand on his arm.  "What do they call you?"

She rose her eyebrows at him and gestured to the chair again.  She knelt down to sheath the daggar at her ankle and then stood to get the draw string bag. 

"Not much of a talker?"  Tony asked as he hesitantly sat down.  He absently rubbed his wrists and watched the girl sit down cross-legged in front of him and dig in her bag.

She pulled out a water bottle and handed it to Tony, then a juice box and set it on her leg. 

"Thanks . . ."  Tony checked the bottle to see if anything was off about it, and then broke the seal.  He took greedy gulps;  he hadn't realized how thirsty he was.

The next thing the girl pulled out of the bag was a box of six glazed donuts, likely bought from a gas station.  She set the box on the floor and then pulled two muffins from the bag, one blueberry and one lemon poppy sead. 

She held the blueberry muffin in her left hand and the donuts in her rights, offering them both out for Tony to choose.  He chose the muffin, and accepted the napkin that was offered up after.

"You bought all of this?"  Tony asked, unwrapping the plastic from the muffin.  The girl nodded, stabbing the juice box with the straw and then throwing the straw to the floor.

"You gonna talk to me?"  Tony broke off a piece of muffin and shoved it in his mouth, savoring the taste.  He was starving.

She shrugged in return, the corner of her mouth twitching up slightly as she tossed the lemon poppy sead muffin up and caught it again.

"So, is this a team bonding exersize?"  Tony took another sip of water.  "Becuase I can tell you from experience:  this isn't going to work without communication."

The girl ignored him, opting to focus on her juice and muffin instead.

Tony took this time to observe her for the first time.  She looked young;  not teenager young, but still too young to be involved in one of the kidnapping of Tony Stark.  She also dressed like a trainwreak from different decades.

"What do they want with me?"  Tony asked, only to receive no answer.  How surprising.  "If it's money, I have a lot of that.  They probably don't want me dead, becuse if they did, you wouldn't be here."

Tonys muffin was gone and he glanced down at the donut box, then back up to meet pink tinted brown eyes.

"You know you're never going to pass a drug test if you eat those.  Opoids are made from poppy seeds."  Tony commented. 

The girl rolled her eyes and reached into her bag, pulling out a napkin. She tore the sticker off the donut box, took one out and wrapped it in the napkin, then handed it to Tony.

"Thanks."  Tony said.  "So, do they want me to make them weapons?  Because that's not going to happen."

No answer.  Silence, save for the sound of someone still trying to drink out of an empy juice box.

"Really?  Nothing?"  Tony wiped his hands free of donut glaze.  "Tough crowd."

The girl shoved her garbage into the bag and then she held her hand out for Tonys.

Tony, shooting his shot, took her by the wrist and dragged her up.  He grabbed the knife from her ankle, put her in an awkward chokehold and glared at one of the security camera while pointing the knife.

Almost instantly, three men rushed into the room with guns pointed.  Another followed;  Jackson.

Tony could feel the girls pulse on his forearm, it was normal and steady.  She had tensed up under him, but she seemed just as calm as ever.

"Tony,"  Jackson said in a warning tone, his hands were raised as to keep everyone from doing anything, and his eyes were glued on the daggar.  "That's not a good idea."

"I'm leaving here."  Tony said firmly.  "And you won't stop me."

"Oh, I know I won't."  Jackson said, a slight smirk creeping up his face.

Suddenly, the girl brought her heel down on the juncture between Tonys foot and ankle as hard as she could.  She shoved her elbow into his ribs and wrangled the knife from his grip.  Then she spun around to shove him back into the chair, a fierce look in her eyes as she held the daggar a bit too close to his neck.

"But she will."  Jackson finished smugly.

When Tony was securely tied to the chair, the knife dropped and the girl left.  Her bag and garbage forgotten.

Jackson laughed.  "Oh, Tony.  That was quite possibly the most stupid thing you could have ever done."

Tony glared up at his captor. 

"Don't worry,"  Jackson gave Tony a couple light pats on the cheek,  "she won't kill you.  But she does hold grudges."

The armed men picked up the trash from the floor and left Tony alone with only his thoughts. After a minute, he let his head fall back and he huffed out a long breath.

"Well, shit."


	3. Chapter 3

When the door opened next, Tonys head snapped up and he almost got whiplash.  Not because of how fast he moved his head, but because of who walked in.

It was the girl.  She looked pissed. 

There was no jacket this time, but an Iron Man shirt that had Man crossed out and Patriot written in Sharpie under it.  The pink aviators were swapped out for black ones, so Tony couldn't see her eyes. 

The door closed, she walked behind Tonys chair and dropped her bag.  Fear shot like ice water down his spine.

"Listen, kid,"  Tony tried to turn his head to see her.  "I'm sorry about earlier, I won't do it again.  I just think we can negotiate a deal."

Tony heard a knife being drawn and he flinched away.  Then his zip ties were cut.  He hesitantly brought his hands in front of him and rubbed his wrists.

The girl brought another chair out of one of the dark corners and set it so she could sit down and face Tony.  She grabbed Tonys hand and pulled it palm up toward herself.

She began to unwrap the bandages, throwing them carelessly aside when done.  She pulled her sunglasses off her face and set them on top of her head, and then examined Tonys wrist.

He was no longer bleeding, Tony noted, but she was.

She had a split lip, a cut on her eyebrow, and bruise forming around her left eye.

"You okay?"  Tony reached out instinctively to check the wounds, but she caught his wrist in an almost painfully tight grip before he could touch her. 

She let go of him, shook her head, looked back down and took his other hand.

This girl was so confusing.  She was so gentle, careful not to hurt Tony any more than he already was, but she had reason to be anything but gentle and caring toward him.

"Can I get your name?"  Tony asked when he had his hands back.

She shook her head again.

"Okay, that's fine."  Tony shrugged and watched her grab her bag and rumage through it.  "How about you tell me what happened to you?"

Her responce was to throw a water bottle at him.

"Okay, touchy subject."  Tony said and opened the bottle.  "Tell me what you and the other guy want with me, then."

A to-go box from Cinnabon with a fork was set on his leg, accompanied by silence.

"Thanks, but I'm not letting the subject drop."  Tony said stubbornly.  "Come on, kid.  What's happening?"

She sat back in her chair and pulled her sunglasses back onto her face, obscuring her eyes.

"Give me a hint?" 

The corner of her mouth twitched slightly, but alas, no answer.

"Do you ever talk?"  Tony asked and opened the box.  The cinnoman roll was still warm.

She raised her right shoulder slightly in a shrug, but was still silent.

That's how it went for a few days.  The girl would bring food- breakfast from a coffe shop or gas station, cold pizza, whatever seemed convenient to her -and Tony would ask questions only to get no answer.  Tony had started calling her Lennon because of the way she wore her sunglasses.

And then one day, she came with company.

It was Jackson, followed by five men with large guns.  And Lennon.

Lennon knelt down behind Tony to cut the zip ties, and Jackson talked.

"Tony, good news-"

"You got your ransom money and I'm free to go?"  Tony spat as Lennon dragged him up by the arm.

Jackson laughed.  "No, this is better.  You are leaving, but you're not going home.  And we did get money, but it wasn't ransom."

Lennon rubbed her left eye, probably to cover an eye roll

Tony stayed silent as Lennon cuffed his hands befind his back and the group started moving. Jackson and three of the armed men went into a stairwell and the other two had their guns pointed at Tony as Lennon pushed him into an elevator.

As soon as the metal doors slid closed, Lennon pulled out a phone and unlocked Tonys handcuffs.

"Dial." 

It was the first time Tony had ever heard her voice, and it was an order accompanied by a phone shoved into his hands.

"What?"  Tony glanced down, a little (a lot) shocked at the order.

"Dial.  Now."  She sounded impatient, maybe even anxious.

Tony glanced down at the phone and say Colonel James Rhodes as a contact, but no number.  Tony didn't waste any more time.

"Hello?"  A voice answered after the second ring.

"Rhodey, hey."  Tony put the phone on speaker.  "It's me."

"Tony!"  Relief filled Rhodeys voice.  "Where are you?"

"I don't know, track this call."  Tony watched as the floor number kept decreasing.  12, 11.  "I'm about to be transfered."

"F.R.I.D.A.Y says you're in an old appaetment builing somewhere in Harlem."  Rhodey said after a moment of silence.  "I'm suiting up right now, keep that phone on you."

"Just you?"  Tony asked.  8, 7.

"Everyone's coming.  Stay alive." Rhodey ordered.  Tony almost laughed.

"That was my plan." 

4, Lennon grabbed the phone and put Rhodey on mute.  3, she put the phone in Tonys back pocket.  2, she put the handcuffs back on Tony.

1, the elevator jolted to a stop. 

The doors opened and they were met with Jackson's smiling face and more guns.  There was an armored truck waiting to take Tony wherever he was going.

"Great job, I knew you could do it."  Jackson's smug smirk accompanied the words as Lennon lightly pushed him out of the elevator. 

Tony glanced at Lennon as Jackson handed her a holster with a glock in it, watched as she fixed it to her belt. 

And he ran for cover as she aimed and fired at three of the people holding large guns.

Lennon ran and tackled Jackson to the ground, using him as a human shield.  She kept shooting with uncanny accuracy.  Jackson fought, he ripped the pink aviators from her face and they broke when he threw them to the concrete floor.

Tony used the distraction to get his hands in front of him and grab the phone from his pocket.

"Rhodey-"

"Tony!  What the hell is happening!?"  Rhodey yelled through the phone.

Tony could hear the War Machine suit approaching over the gunfire, and by looks of it, so could Lennon.

"I'm not sure, but I'm still alive."  Tony answered.  He watched as Lennon fired off two more shots, dropping two more men, and started running off to an exit.

By the time the War Machine armor flew in, Lennon was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

"Aside from a few bruised ribs, you're perfectly fine, Tony."  Helen Cho concluded when she checked Tony over in the med bay.

"I know, I've been telling you in fine since I got here."  Tony rolled his eyes.  He stood up off the cot and winced.  Lennon really did a number on him with her elbow.

It was good to be back, there was backround noise.  The room Tony was kept in was almost always silent, and Tony hates silence.

Pepper was waiting for him outside the med bay, and she viciously hugged him the moment he was close enough. 

"Never do that again."  Pepper ordered, her face in the crook of Tonys neck.  Tony laughed softly, but he nodded and pulled Pepper closer.

When they walked out to meet the rest of the team, they were already down to business.  'Rest of the team' wasn't really what it was, it was Rhodey, Vision and Peter Parker.  Nevertheless, they were down to business.

"Someone destroyed the security footage from when you were held there."  Rhodey announced.  "And there aren't any cameras in the parking garage, but F.R.I.D.A.Y caught this just outside the parking garage."

The hologram appeared over the table they were standing around.  It pictured the girl, Lennon, booking it out of the parking garage and down three blocks.  Her aviator sunglasses were gone, broken on the concrete ground, and she had pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head. 

"She is young."  Vision observed.

"She saved my life."  Tony confessed.  "She gave me food and water while they had me, she fixed any injuries I got, and she gave me a phone to call you guys."

Peter was immediately sent to go get the phone, and Pepper, Rhodey and Vision started bombarding Tony with questions.  Tony had very little answers.

"She was still involved."  Vision said.  "Even if she saved Mr. Srarks life.  What do you believe should happen?"

"I think we don't have enough information yet."  Rhodey rubbed his eyes.  "We should get all the facts before we make any decisions."

When Peter returned, Tony had F.R.I.D.A.Y go over every piece of data in the phone, no matter how insignificant. 

The phone was property of Jackson Chad, the only fingerprints belonged to Tony, and none of the contacts saved belonged to Lennon.  She was smart.

Facial recognition came up with nothing, so this girl wasn't in any system of any kind.  Smart.

After much contemplating from everyone, they came to a decision.  They couldn't just let Lennon to run free, but they still had questions, and not nearly enough variables.

They decided to release a still from the security footage, stating that the woman was a person of interest, that she was needed for questioning.  Not a suspect.

Tony had a feeling they wouldn't be finding her for some time.

But they had to try.  

《《《》》》

They started with Jackson.  Tony went to visit him in jail, a long list of questions in his mind.

When Tony entered the interrogation room, he saw Jackson cuffed to the table.  Oh, how the tables have turned.

"Tony!"  Jackson greeted him like an old friend.  "Look at you, man!  You look great."

"Thanks."  Tony said shortly and sat down at the table.  He set down a picture with a still of Lennon on it.   "Who is this?"

Jackson glanced down at the photo, then back up at Tony.  He pushed the paper back.  "I've never seen that woman in my life."

Tony caught the picture and shoved it back.  "Look again.  I think you might recognize her."

Jackson made a show of sighing and studying the photo for a good minute.  He dropped it with another sigh and looked back up.  "Now, that is a beautiful woman."  His southern accent drawled.  "But I don't know who that is."

Tony leaned back in his chair.  "How close were you two?"  He asked, utterly dumbfounded.  "You guys must have been in love for you to be defending her like this.  After she betrayed you."  

Jackson laughed softly.  "Love had nothing to do with it."  He said.  "She was funny, though."

"Really?"  Tony pulled the photo back to himself.  "She struck me as more of a strong a d silent type."

"Yeah, she does that to most people."  Jacksons easy smile never faded.  "She said she would get us 'his and her's' Iron Man armor for our wedding cake toppers."  He laughed shortly again.  "Always telling jokes when she could."

"This is good."  Tony encouraged.  "But how about you give me some more useful information?  Like her name?"  He leaned forward.  "Do you even know her name?"

"It wasn't Lennon."  Jackson mirrored Tony's lean with one if his own.  "You won't find her."  He whispered, that gross smile back on his face.   "She only gets found when she wants to be. And she won't want to."  Jackson leaned back in his chair. 

"Good luck."

《《《 》》》

It took almost seven months, but they found Lennon.   She was in The Netherlands- Amsterdam.

The name she gave her landlord was Aleta Meijer.  Dutch.  Her passport was under the same name, as was her Netherlands ID. 

Facial recognition confirmed it.  They had found her.

Now all they needed was a plan to take her in without any collateral damage.

"Send the police to arrest her."  Peter Parker suggested.  "She doesn't seem like that type to hurt innocent people."

Rhodey shook his head.  "It's too risky, we still don't know anything about her past or training."

"Perhaps,"  Vision started carefully,  "we could send one person to get a read on her and proceed from there."

"Great idea, send me."  Tony said immediately. 

"No."  Everyone else said at once.

Tony rolled his eyes.  "Come on.  I'm no threat to her, and I'm a familiar face so she hopefully won't kill me on sight."

"That's a big hopefully, Tony."  Rhodey sighed.  "And an even bigger risk."

Tony rolled his eyes.  "Honey, she's smart.  She'll know anyone we send.  I've talked to her before, so it'll be less of as risk if I go."

"Send me."  Peter spoke up.  The entire room went silent and all eyes turned to the teenager.

"She won't know me."  Peter went on.  "I can go."

"No."  Tony shook his head.  "Absolutely not."

"Yeah, I'm with Tony on this one."  Rhodey agreed.

"While it is certainly not ideal, " Vision reasoned,  "it does pose the least amount of risk.  Mr. Parker isn't threatening, but he can defend himself if need be."  Peter nodded in agreement.

Silence enveloped the room as everybody thought it over, then-

"Still a no."  Tony crossed his arms. "I'm not taking you to Amsterdam for a day-trip."

"That's so stupid!"  Peter yelled.  "You took me on a day-trip to Germany to fight Captain America!  This is way safer!"

More silence, then Tony sighed. 

《《《 》》》

"Remember, we'll hear everything and help if you need it."  Rhodey gave Peter an ear piece.  "Stick to your story."

Peter nodded.  He looked a little nervous, which would make his cover more believable, or blow it.  Tony really hoped it would do the first.

Tony clapped Peter on the shoulder and pulled him in for a sort-of hug.  "If anything goes wrong, run and get back here the first chance you get.  The plan doesn't matter at that point."

Peter rolled his eyes and fixed the ear piece so it wasn't noticeable.  But Tony caught a small smile.

"I'll be fine, Mr. Stark."  Peter said. He then stepped out into the streets of Amsterdam.

Peter Parker was nervous.  He was in a foreign country, wandering the  streets of Amsterdam, looking for a woman who was involved in the kidnapping of Tony Stark.

Peter Parker was not nervous; he was terrified.

Sure, he was about eighty times stronger than her and could stop her if she tried to attack him.  But he was still terrified.  He couldn't help it.

Peter's cover was that he was a lost tourist.  And he was currently lost, so it was all the more believable.  He was waiting for her to walk by, where he would ask for directions and learn as much about her as he could.

Peter had been waiting and staring at a map for about three minutes when-

"Okay kid, that's her.  Purple aviators.  Go!"  Tony's voice in his ear said. 

Peter tentatively stepped forward and tapped her arm.  "Um, excuse me?"

The woman turned around to face Peter.  "Ja?"

"Do- do you speak English?"  Peter asked.

"Yes."  She smiled a friendly smile.  "Tourist?"

Peter nodded.  "I, uh, I lost my tour group."

"Well, have you guys hit up Anne Frank's secret annex yet?"  She asked.  Peter shook his head.  "Okay, when are you guys going?"

"Today."  Tony supplied, and Peter repeated.

She nodded.  "I'm on my way to that area.  I can take you there if you want."

Peter sighed in relief and nodded.  "Thank you so much."

"Call your group and tell them you'll meet them there, so they don't worry or anything."  She smiled and unlocked a bike from a bike rack. 

"I'm Peter, by the way."  Peter said as he watched her put a bag in the front basket of the bike.

"Aleta."  She stuck her hand out and shook Peter's.  "Where are you from?"

"New York."  Peter supplied, considerably less panicked.  "Queens."

Aleta brightened.  "I used to live in Manhattan."  She started walking her bike west.

"Well, she's going the right way, at least."  Rhodeys tired voice said in Peter's ear.  "Stay alert, though."

"Really?"  Peter went with the conversation.

"Yes, my mother and I moved there when I was three."  Aleta smiled easily.  "Queens is where the Spider-Man is, no?"

Peter nodded, the panic creeping back up.  "Yeah, that's right.  That's . . . "  his gaze drifted to the basket of the bike,  "a lot of muffins."

Aleta glanced down and back up, her smile still easy.  "Yes, someone I knew in New York is coming to visit.  He just arrived today."

"Peter. . . "  Tony's voice was cautious.

"Though, I don't know when he'll show."  Aleta continued.  She swung her leg over the bike and put her left foot on the left pedal, her right one on the ground, pushing her forward. 

"Oh, uh-"  Peter was poised to fight or flight. 

"Tell Stark I'll be ready whenever he is."  Aleta patted Peter's cheek.  "Doei, Peter."  Then she rode off down the busy street and Peter lost her.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony looked up as the door to the canal house opened and his old friend from captivity walked in.

"Hey, Lennon."  Tony said.  "How've-"

She held her hand up to silence Tony and walked further into the house.  She set a box of muffins down on the coffee table and made her way to the kitchen, where she grabbed two glasses and a bottle.  She poured out two shots of scotch, pushed one toward Tony, and downed the other.

"What do you want."  She demanded after she set the glass down.

"Nice place."  Tony waved away the drink.

"Thanks."  Lennon downed the shot she had offered to Tony.  "When did you start sending actual children to do your job?"

"You're talking way more than I remember, does this mean we're friends?"  Tony avoided the question. 

She exhaled sharply, a humorless laugh.  "We're not going to get anywhere with our old routine, and we most certainly are not friends."  She opened the muffin box and tossed one to Tony.  "What do you want."

"Where'd you get your hair done?"  Tony asked.  Back when he was depending on her to survive, Lennons hair was shoulder length and black.  Now, it looked professionally bleached and cut.  "I like it."

"Either answer my questions or start asking relevant ones."  Lennon sighed and collapsed onto a bar stool at her counter.  She rubbed her eye under her aviators.  Neither of them spoke for a few long moments.

"What's your name?"  Tony asked quietly.  Lennon let out another humorless laugh.

"You know who I am."

It was a line Tony had said so many times, but she didn't say it with the same cocky smugness Tony always had.  She said it like she had accepted a bitter defeat, like she was waiting for a death sentence.

"Aleta Meijer?"  Tony almost reached out to comfort her, she nodded.

"I wasn't lying to the kid.  My mom and I were immagrants."  Aleta reached for the bottle of scotch.  "We lived in Harlem, then-"  her left hand gestured vaguely while her right hand poured. "-the Not-So-Jolly-Green-Giant happened."

Tony was silent, he reached out and gently took the bottle from her grip.  After a few more moments of silences, he spoke.  "Why did you decide to help me?"

Aleta swirled the alcohol around her glass as she spoke.  "I got my share of the payment we were receiving,"  She took a sip,  "and, I asked myself what I was doing.  You dedicated your life to helping people, and I was being paid to. . . "  she shook her head.  "Besides, you were going to escape anyway.  Might as well have sped up the process."

"Why did you run?"  Tony asked.  Aleta laughed again.

"I can handle myself against you when you're unarmed, but the others?"  She downed the rest of the scotch in her glass.  "I'd rather die on my own terms."

Tony pushed the forgotten muffin box in front of Aleta, but she shook her head.  "No, I can stomach alcohol."

"Eat."  Tony said.  Aleta rolled her eyes but took a muffin.

"Oh, how the tables have turned."

Tony laughed and watched Aleta push the sunglasses up her nose.  "What happens when you leave here?"  She asked.  "The thing you said on the news didn't call for a warrant for my arrest."

Tony sighed.  "We'll probably have to bring you in."

Aleta nodded.  "Can I have that bottle back?"  When Tony shook his head, she rolled her eyes.  "I'm honestly surprised it took you this long to find me."

"Me too, kid."  Tony took a muffin from the box.  "You're good.  You and Jackson must have been in love, because he never sold you out."

This time, Aleta snorted with laughter.  She hid her smile behind her hand as she laughed quietly.

"Yeah, he said something along those lines, but with more words."  Tony said.  "And, aren't you half his age?  The start of whatever you had must have been illegal."

Aleta had stopped laughing, but there was an amused glint in her eyes.  "I was nineteen and starving, he was twenty--six and had an apartment.  It was a good deal."  She shrugged.

"That's . . ."  Tony tried to find the right word.  "Prostitution."  He settled on, which made her smile a bit.  "What did you guys even have?"

Aleta sighed and leaned back in her chair.  "We were using each other."  She said.  "That's what the relationship was based on, we both knew it and it made everything easier.  If he got arrested, I would provide an alibi.  He got some of his friends to teach me how to fight, for self defense."

"But then it turned into throwing a knife st people."  Tony said.  Aleta shrugged.

"I started to help him with his jobs.  And then people started to realize that I was smarter than him, so they had me help with more of the stuff we did."  She said.  "But I never did assassinations.  I don't like the thought of murdering people."  

Tony leaned against the table.  "Well, that's a relief."  He said sarcastically.  "Anything else you want to confess?"

Aleta pressed her lips together, like she just remembered something important.  "Captain America and his friends have been stalking me for a week."  That made Tony snap out of his joking attitude.

"What?"  He leaned toward her.

"Oh,"  she bit her lip, "I probably should have lead with that."  She said quietly.  At the same time, Tony stood up and got out of view from the window.  "Why didn't you lead with that!?"  He asked and fumbled for his phone. 

"Yeah."  Aleta kicked her feet up to rest on an empty bar stool.  "Sorry, it's the alcohol.  I cannot be sober around you."

"You said you could handle alcohol!"  Tony said as he dialed Rhodey. 

"I said I could handle it."  She agreed.  "I didn't say I could handle it well." 

"Tony?"  Rhodeys voice came from the other end of the phone.  "What happened?"

"We need to leave right now."  Tony said to both Rhodey and Aleta.  The former asked questions, the latter lazily stood and grabbed the muffin box and liquor bottle.

"Why?  Tony, what happened?!"  Rhodey asked frantically.

"Rogers found her first."  Tony said as he followed Aleta to the exit.  "We're comprised.  We'll meet you at the rondsevous point."

"Both of you?"  Rhodey asked. "Willingly?"

Tony shot Aleta a questioning look and repeated Rhodeys question.  She shrugged, mouthed 'why not?', and opened her front door.

"Yeah, both of us."  Tony answered.  He took the liquor bottle from Aleta and left it by the door.  "I'll keep you posted."  He hung up.

Tony glanced up the street and stepped to the sidewalk.  Aleta grabbed him by the upper arm and pulled him back to the shelter of her doorstep when he stepped out into the street.  She was locking her front door with one hand, her other holding Tony's arm.  "Someone is watching us from a rooftop as across the street." 

"What?"  Tony glanced up and saw nothing.

"And someone down the street."  Aleta leaned against the door.  "What's the plan?"

"How do you know that?"  Tony asked.  "You're drunk." 

"I'm observant.  Like I said, they've been watching me for a week."  She shrugged.  "So, I repeat:  what's the plan?"

Tony was silent for a moment.  "Stay behind me, were going to meet the rest of my team." 

Aleta shrugged again.  "Do I get my bike?"

"We'll come back to get it later."  Tony rolled his eyes and started walking.  Aleta blinked, pushed her sunglasses up her nose, then stepped out to follow. 

After a minute of walking in silence, Tony glanced back to make sure he was being followed.  "What?  You only talk in the comfort of your own home?  Come on, Lennon, this is just like the old days."

The next thing Tony knew, he was flat on his back, gunshots echoing through screams.  Aleta was crouched beside him, her eyes scanning the streets.

Tony followed her line of sight and his eyes landed on the roof of a building, where a black figure was aiming a rifle.

"Run."  Tony ordered and went to stand up. 

"Where?"  Aleta asked, standing up and offering a hand to Tony. 

"Westerpark."  Tony took the hand and helped himself up.  "I can handle this."

"You said it wrong."  Aleta said.  She shoved him to a nearby building.  She ran in, pulled Tony with her, slammed the door, and yelled "Bel de politie!"

She and someone who worked there started talking in rapid Dutch.  Tony took the time to call Rhodey again.

"Hey, we might need backup."  Tony said.

"Oh, my God.  What's happening?"  Rhodey asked through the phone.

"Gunshots."  Tony said simply.  "Don't worry, we're both fine, at the moment." 

"Stay where you are."  Rhodey ordered.

Tony agreed and glanced out the window.  The streets were almost empty, the few people still out there were running for cover. 

The door to wherever they were opened and a woman ran in, looking terrified.  She grabbed Aletas arm and started asking questions in Dutch.

Tony dropped his phone and rushed forward, but he was too late.  Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, had struck.

Aleta looked like she wanted to yell, probably something inappropriate, but she was too busy trying not to be killed.  She shot Tony a look, and then she ran out the store and booked it north.  In the direction of Westerpark.

Romanoff turned back to look at Tony.  "You okay?"  She took a step forward, but stopped when she saw the look on his face.

"Get away from me."  Tony had his hand thrown out in front of him, ready to defend himself.  He had no suit, his watch would barely do anything to her, so his best option was to run and follow Aleta. 

"Tony . . . "  Natasha said slowly. 

"No."  Tony stopped her.  He pointed to the door.  "I don't want to hear any of this." 

Natasha took a step back.  "Tony,"  she repeated.  "She's responsible for your kidnapping."

"She's responsible for my escape."  Tony corrected.  He gestured to the door again.  "Let's take this outside."

There was a moment where everyone--Natasha, Tony and spectators--was silent and unmoving.  Then, Natasha took a tentative step towards the exit

Tony followed, his hand on his watch, ready to use it.  He grabbed his phone without taking his eyes off his former friend, and put it to his ear.  "You still there?"

"I'm almost on you.  How's Meijer?"  Rhodeys voice answered.

"I've got new company."  Tony said, his hand still on his watch.

Seconds later, the War Machine suit landed in the middle of the street, soon followed by the Amsterdam police.  As Tony and Natasha walked out to meet Rhodey, Tony heard a sharp crack. 

Under Natasha's foot, a pair of purple tinted aviator sunglasses lay on the ground, broken.  That was the chance she needed, and it was the chance she took.

While Tony was distracted, Natasha ran at him.  She grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, ripped his watch off and threw it somewhere. 

Within seconds, dozens of guns were pointed at Natasha and Tony, and dozens of voices shouted in at least three different languages.

"I don't want to hurt you."  Natasha said quietly, though Tony's arm begged to differ. 

"Then don't."  Tony said calmly.  "Let me go." 

They were both silent amidst the shouting police officers, then the grip on Tony's arm loosened.  Natasha let go and put her hands on top of her head, her head tilting ever so slightly to the north. 

As the police took care of the former assassin, Tony turned to Rhodey.

"If Romanoff is here, the others are, too."  Tony said.

Rhodey sighed.  "Where's Meijer?"

Tony nodded in the direction of the park and scanned the ground for his watch.  "I'm almost sure she's on her way to the jet."  He stopped to pick up the broken sunglasses and his watch.

"Almost?"  Rhodey raised an eyebrow.

Tony shrugged.  "I'll talk to the local law, you check in with the kid and Vision."  He said and turned to watch the police put handcuffs on Romanoff.  He started toward the police, ready to deal with the painful red tape.


	6. Chapter 6

"You said you were apprehending a possibly dangerous person of interest."  The police chief, Visser, said in perfect English.  She was glaring at Tony from behind her desk.  "You never said anything about terrorist fugitives."

Tony rubbed his jaw and answered after a slight pause.

"I was negotiating with the person of interest.  We didn't know Romanoff was here."  Tony bowed his head. "Colonel Rhodes is scanning the city with your force for the others.  If she's here, so are they."

Visser sighed, like this was the last thing she wanted to do.  Which it probably was.  "Where is your person of interest?"

"She ran when Romanoff attacked.  One of my teammates informed me that she is with them, apprehended peacefully."  Tony said.

Visser stood up. "I hope you have a plan." She glared down at Tony.  "Becuase I want every Avenger, past an present, out of the city as soon as possible."

Tony stood up as well and nodded.  "Thank you for your understanding."  They exchanged a brief handshake and then Tony walked out of Vissers office.

When Tony passed a holding cell, he felt calculating eyes burning holes in the back of his head.  He chanced one last glance at Natasha before he left the police station. 

"Tony, meet us at Meijers house."  A voice said through Tony's earpiece.  He rubbed his jaw and cracked his neck, then set out into the busy streets.

After almost being hit by three bicyclists and stopped by four fans, Tony finally made it to the canal house.

"This place is crazy."  Tony announced when he let himself in.  "Pedestrians don't have the right-of-way."

"Yeah, I know." Rhodey agreed and walked Tony to the kitchen, where Vision, Peter and Aleta were all standing around.  Peter was smiling and showing Aleta how his web-shooter worked, and Aleta had an almost childish smile on her face when she shot a web at her ceiling.  "How does she even afford this place?"  Rhodey asked quietly.

"I inherited it."  Aleta said, the smile dropping from her face almost immediately.  "And I rent it out to tourists when I'm in New York."

"Smart."  Tony nodded.  "Now, what's the plan?"  Straight to business, as usual.

There was a small pause where Rhodey, Vision and Peter all exchanged glances.  Then, Rhodey answered.  

"We don't have one."

"I have a plan."  Aleta said.  Quietly, as though she didn't want to share it.

Tony turned to her and waited for her to elaborate.  But she didn't.  She was still fiddling with the web-shooter.  

"Meijer."  Rhodey said, a little louder than needed.  She hummed but didn't look up.  "Elaborate.  Please."  The please was added as an afterthought.

Aleta still didn't looked up, but she put the web-shooter down.  "I want to set a few things straight, first."  She said.

"What is this plan even for?"  Peter asked.

Aleta looked up, finally.  "It will solve everyone's problems."  She said this while looking Tony directly in the eyes.  "But first, I want to make one thing clear."

When nobody interrupted, she continued.

"If this works, you all leave me alone." She declared.  "No more superheros breaking in to my house."  Aleta said that one especially to Tony.  "No more children stopping me on the street."  That one was directed to Peter.  "Just everyone going their separate ways and not bothering anyone."

"No."  Rhodey immediately answered.  "We are not going to let you just walk away from consequences."

Aleta clenched her jaw.  She looked like she was trying not to slap him.  "Fine."  She said, still full of tension.  "Then what's your plan?  How are you planning on finding Steve Rogers?"

"It involves criminals answering to the consequences of their action."   Rhodey shot back.

Aleta slammed her fist down on her kitchen island.  "Look around!  This is my consequence!"  She yelled, her Dutch accent getting heavier.  "Iron Man is in my house!  Spider-Man approached me on the street!  I know what I've done, and I know I can't just get away with no punishment."  Her usually pale face had gone slightly red.  "But I'm trying to help.  And if you don't want that, fine."

Silence rung throughout the kitchen.  It was like everyone was scared this girl was going to attack them.  But she didn't.  She waited in the very uncomfortable silence, unmoving and unapologetic, for someone to break first.

"Perhaps,"  Vision said finally,  "we should hear her out."  Peter nodded shyly and Rhodey let up. 

"Fine.  Share your brilliant plan."  Rhodey stood to attention, his posture military perfect.

"Don't let the hair fool you."  Tony said.  "She was the brains behind my kidnapping.  She's smart."  

"Human bait."  Aleta said, gesturing to herself.

"Okay, disregard what I just said."  Tony took back his words.  "That is the least smart thing I have ever heard."

"Think about it."  Aleta kept going.  "They are weirdly protective of him-"  she gestured to Tony  "-so they came running when you put my headshot over every news channel in the world.  I go out alone, one of them finds me.  Easy."

"That . . . could work." Rhodey said reluctantly.  

"But we still need to refine the details."  Tony interjected.  "Like how we are definitely not doing that."

"We need to give you a tracker so we can know where you are."  Vision said, and Peter grabbed his suit to take the drone out and give it to her.

"And we need to make it look like I'm running away."  Aleta took the small, mechanical spider offered to her and slipped it into one of her jacket pockets.

"And find a new plan."  Tony said, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"Oh, my God, I think this might actually work."  Rhodey said it like he was scared he would jinx it.

"Wait,"  Peter chipped in,  "what if they catch you before we get there?"  Tony pointed to Peter.  Finally, someone who agreed with him.

Aleta raised her hands and meekly said: "Ik spreek geen Engels."  That seemed to satisfy Rhodey and Peter, and they started discussing more details of the horrible plan.  

Every single one of Tony's protests were ignored.  He couldn't believe any of them.  They were willing to put Aletas life in danger in exchange for Steve Rogers.  And Tony would rather face the Winter Soldier than let Aleta put herself in harm's way for him again.

When everyone but Tony agreed on hasty details, Rhodey gave the okay to send Aleta out.  But Tony was having none of this.  He followed her out of the front door.  

"Aleta, kid."  Tony said and reached out for her arm.  "You don't have to do this, come back."

Aleta turned around, for a moment Tony thought she was actually going to listen to him.  But she didn't.  She punched him.  In the stomach.  He went reeling back, out of breath and wincing.  "Ik ben geen kind!"  She snapped angrily at him, her glare almost as bad as Peppers.  Then she turned around and started off and Tony lost her in the busy streets.

Rhodey was immediately at his side, helping him up.  "What did she just do?"  Tony asked quietly.  

Rhodey helped his friend inside.  "She just set the bait."  He said.  "You okay?  Did she hit you too hard?"

Tony shook his head.  Sure, it hurt like hell, but she could have done much more damage and hit a lot harder than she did.  She could have gone for his chest--which would have been almost fatal--or his throat--that one would hurt like a bitch.  

Now he had no choice but to hope she didn't die out there.


	7. Chapter 7

Aleta should have listened to Stark.

She never listened to anybody.  Not her mother, not Jackson, not Stark.  If she had listened to any one of those people, she wouldn't be in this mess.

She'd noticed him one block away from her house.  A large man with dark blond hair and a messy beard was following her at a meandering pace.  Aleta started walking a little faster, and so did the man.  She should have taken her bike.

There was another man up on the rooftops, that one had wings.  Yay Aleta.  She hoped the spider in her pocket could actually track her.

She broke into a run about a block away from Westerpark.

"Ik ben zo'n idioot."  Aleta muttered to herself as her feet hit the grass of the park.  Steve Rogers was following, still.  

She ran across the canal on one of the bridges, hoping she could make it to one of the bars, maybe the school, before Roger's caught up to her.  God, why was she so impulsive?

"Come on, Stark, schiet op."

Aleta was running out of time, and there was no Iron Man or War Machine coming to help her.  She seemed to be alone, but that was no different to most of her adult life.  

She was halfhalfway across another canal bridge when she leapt up onto the railing.  Her feet almost slipped on the narrow rails, but she kept her balance.  

Aleta watched Steve Rogers stop his pursuit.  Bicyclists and pedestrians stopped and stared.  Rogers slowly held his hands out and took a step forward.

"Blijf terug!"  Aleta yelled, her legs shaking slightly.  "Geen andere stap!"  She didn't know if he understood Dutch, but she hoped he could guess enough.

Rogers seemed to understand.  He stayed back.  "Come on."  He kept his hand held out.  "Don't do this."

Aletas legs wobbled again.  Her right foot slipped a bit, but she stayed as upright as she could.  She didn't say anything.  Neither of them said anything, challenging each other.

Something sounded behind her.  Something mechanical--something flying.  Aleta glanced over her shoulder, ready to yell at Stark for taking so long.  But it wasn't Iron Man.  It was the Falcon.  

Aletas eyes widened and she lost her balance.  She slipped and fell from the bridge.

The cold water of the canal hit her painfully.  She went under, inhaling water and trying to swim through the disorientation.  Everything was dark.  Her lungs burned.

An arm wrapped itself around Aletas waist and she struggled to get away.  Whoever was holding her held on tight.  She thrashed and kicked, but she couldn't get away.  Whoever had her kicked their way up to the surface.  

Aleta gasped when her head broke through the water, she was too focused on breathing to care about the person carrying her to land.  She was shivering and coughing, holding the arm around her waist while she shook.

The person let go and Aleta collapsed without the support.  She fell to the grassy dirt and curled in on herself, coughing and sputtering.  When she finally caught her breath, she looked up at the person who dragged her out of the canal.

"You're welcome."  Steve Rogers said.  His clothes and hair were wet and his breath was slightly labored, but other than that, he was fine.

Aleta scrambled to stand up and run, but Rogers caught her arm.  She struggled to get out of his grip, but he was stronger by a longshot.

"Alsjeblieft."  Aleta whispered.  That was all she said.  One word; a plea.

"Cap!"  The Falcon shouted from a nearby building rooftop.  Both Rogers and Aleta looked up just in time to watch him get tackled by the War Machine suit. 

Something landed behind Aleta with a loud thunk.  Then Rogers went flying back, a blast of energy hitting his chest.

Aleta stumbled forward when Rogers didn't let go of her right away.  But when he did, her knees buckled and she fell back to the ground.

A red and gold hand was offered and Aleta took it.  She punched the Iron Man armor.

"Waarom duurde het zolang?!"  Aleta yelled.  "What in the hell took you so long!?"  She punched the armor again, gritting her teeth.

Aleta was about to punch him again, but stopped herself when the armor opened and Tony Stark stepped out.  She clenched her jaw, turned and slammed her fist against the brick wall of a nearby building.  She swore through her teeth, cradling her fist to her chest.  

A hand was at her shoulder and Aleta turned around to glare at Stark.

"Any more amends I need to make?"  

《 《《 》》》

The Quint-Jet was entirely silent for the entire flight back to New York.  It was agonizing.  Tony never really liked silence.  

Rhodey and Vision quietly manned the controls, the only words spoken were short and quiet.  Peter sat awkwardly in his seat, fidgeting with his web-shooter.  Rogers, Romanoff and Wilson were all stoic and unmoving, restrained where they sat.  And Aleta held a blank face, shivering slightly and occasionally grimacing while Tony wrapped her hand in gauze.

Tony was glad the Quint-Jet was fast, because he couldn't have handled it for longer than the two hour flight.

The compound was loud.  The jet techs took over the Quint when they landed, there were a few armored trucks waiting to take Rogers, Romanoff and Wilson away.  And the government officials.  

Secretary Ross waited impatiently on the tarmac.  He gave everyone an analytical look.

"What about Maximoff and Barnes?"  Ross asked--barked, more like.  "And who's that?"  He jabbed his chin at Aleta.

"We can explain everything later."  Tony said shortly, helping Peter and Aleta up and having them walk between him and Rhodey.  He didn't look back at Steve and Natasha as they were ushered into the armored trucks.

Rhodey and Vision started explaining the situation to Ross.  Peter was sent home.  Tony accompanied Aleta to the medical wing. 

Aleta hadn't spoken at all since she had attacked the Iron Man suit and ruined her hand.  Her knuckles had swollen considerably, but she didn't show any signs of discomfort.  She didn't look angry anymore; she looked numb.  She had followed them to the jet without complaining, staring at nothing while Tony bandaged her hand.  She sat in wet clothes the entire flight, but she didn't complain about that either.  There was none of that fire she had had earlier, there was nothing.  That scared Tony.

She still didn't react when Helen Cho started taking X-Rays of her hand.  Only a hum and a slight grimace when told that two of her fingers were broken.

Helen pulled Tony aside while another doctor started fitting Aleta for a cast.

"She needs a therapist."  Helen said bluntly when they were out of earshot.

Tony nodded and glanced back.  "I know.  But I don't think she'll take one."

"She can say she's fine for as long as she needs, but she's going to break.  And she needs someone there for her when she does."  Helen said quietly.  "She either needs to stay in New York, or get a therapist in Amsterdam."

Tony was left in the hallway, contemplating what he was going to say to a woman who he had the most peculiar relationship with.

Aleta walked out of the medical bay with borrowed clothes and two of her fingers taped together.  Her hair was still slightly damp and had curled at the ends.  She saw Tony in the hallway and hesitated.  She didn't look numb anymore; she looked defeated.

Tony spoke first.

"I overheard them talking about giving you a medal or something."  Tony said.  "For your help with . . . " he tilted his head, "you know. Today."

"I don't want it."  Aleta said shortly.  "I don't want anything."

Tony was silent for a moment.  "Helen wants you to see a therapist."  He said quietly.  They stood on opposite sides of the hallway, but it was empty.  They could hear each other perfectly.

"I don't need a therapist."  Aleta snapped.  "I was fine before you broke in to my house."  The defeat was gone, the anger was back.  "I had everything I wanted, but you needed to find me.  You needed answers."  Her voice was full of bitterness.  "Did you get what you needed?  Are you satisfied?"

Another stretch of silence.

"Because if so, then I would like to go home, now."  Aleta finished.  She started walking, following the path she and Tony had taken to get to the med bay.  

"Thank you."

It was quite, barely above a whisper, but it echoed through the hallway and make Aleta stop in her tracks.

"You saved my life."  Tony continued.  "I don't know where I'd be if you hadn't helped me."  He took a step toward her.  "Thank you."

Tony--as if trying not to scare her away--slowly raised his arms and hugged her.  Aleta froze.  She didn't move at all, didn't even breath.  Tony was about to let go and apologize, when she tentatively hugged him back.  

She started shaking, inhaling shuttering breaths.  She buried her face in his shoulder, tears making his blazer slightly damp.

"I'm sorry."  Aleta breathed into Tony's shoulder, and he embraced her tighter.  "I'm so sorry."

"I am so, so sorry."


End file.
